The times when skateboarders were ridiculed as freaks are long gone. As early as the 1970s, young people rattled up and down the legendary Venice Beach in Los Angeles with a wooden board screwed onto four wheels. The daring tricks and jumps often ended with injuries. Today, more than 50 years later, many things are different. Skateboarding is almost socially acceptable. Yes, the freaks in worn jeans and oversized sweaters are still rolling down the ramps of graffiti-sprayed skate parks. But similar to the snowboard scene, skateboarders also found their way into international sport a few years ago. At the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, medals were awarded for the first time – in the park and street disciplines. The celebrated heroes of the scene and at the same time the best skaters in the world are students and young people. The British Sky Brown is 14 years old and is already a superstar. It’s no wonder that more and more children are switching from scooters to skateboards.
In the following article you will find out which skateboards are suitable for children and what beginners should pay attention to during the first rounds of training.
They are colorful, lightweight and fully assembled. The so-called mini cruisers or penny boards have been on the rise in the skater scene for a few years now. And it’s exactly these boards that can make it easier to get started with skateboarding. For children aged three and over who have some talent for movement, the mini board is perfect to try out. Important: These plastic boards are only designed for rolling and are unsuitable for tricks. Similar to shoes and scooters, the boards for little skaters come with colorful LED lights in the wheels.
After this warm-up, the ground is prepared for the first “real” skateboard. Here the kids stand on a wooden board, which essentially only differs from the skateboards for adults in its length. These classic boards are suitable for beginners as well as for brave skaters with some experience. Typically they are 31 inches long. This corresponds to around 80 centimeters. When it comes to the width of the board, make sure that the tips of your toes protrude slightly beyond the edge of the board. The skateboard can be controlled better this way.
In contrast to riding a bike or scooter, when skateboarding you stand perpendicular to the direction of travel. This is initially unusual for beginners. That’s why parents should always be there when their mini-skaters are tested for the first time. With a little trick you can find out which leg is best at the front of the board. Give your child a gentle nudge without warning. The leg that puts it forward to catch itself is also positioned forward on the skateboard in the direction of travel. The same trick also works for beginner snowboarders. Otherwise, it is first important that the children stand safely and stably on the board with their knees slightly bent. Deserted parking spaces are ideal for the first practice units. You get the momentum you need when skateboarding by pushing yourself off the ground with one leg. The rule applies: the more often, the faster. To get started, two to three short contacts with the ground are enough.
If you’ve never been on a “board with four wheels” before, you should get a longboard to start with. There are several reasons for this. First of all, the wheels on a longboard are significantly larger and softer than on a classic skateboard. The axes on which they rotate also make learning easier. They are wider and are further apart, which makes the board much more stable. The axles are usually mounted in such a way that the center of gravity is very much on the ground and you stand more stable and safer on the deck. Uneven surfaces are noticeably less of a problem for longboard wheels than the small, hard wheels of a skateboard. A longboard is the better choice for beginners because you don’t have to work as much with your own weight to get it rolling. A longboard for children under ten years old should not be longer than 80 centimeters. For older children you can add 20 centimeters.
Last tip: Almost every major city in Germany now has at least a small practice facility for skaters. For starters, halfpipe and kickers are of course still taboo. But it certainly doesn’t hurt to see what it might look like.
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